According to the Federal Network Agency, there will be progress in the coming years in the expansion of electricity highways across Germany. By the end of 2024, 2,800 kilometers and a year later 4,400 kilometers of high-voltage lines will have been approved, the federal authority announced on Monday in Bonn. It is currently 440 kilometers. “We are making good progress and are using every opportunity to speed up the process,” said Klaus Müller, head of the network agency. The electricity highways are intended to connect the windy north with the industrially strong west and south of Germany and thereby ensure the distribution of green electricity throughout Germany.
So far, progress has only been “visible in individual line sections,” said Müller, with a view to the currently still low number of approved routes. “But from next year we will be issuing building permits on a large scale.” After the approvals, the construction and then the commissioning follows – it will take a while until the time comes. A total of around 14,000 kilometers of high-voltage lines are to be built in Germany in the coming years.
The Federal Network Agency is responsible for the larger projects that run through several federal states. The other routes are a matter for the state authorities. Most of the electricity highways will run underground. Nevertheless, in some places there is criticism and concerns from citizens’ initiatives, which have threatened lawsuits. This is one reason why the expansion of high-voltage lines in Germany, which has long been demanded by federal politicians and the economy, has been progressing rather sluggishly. With the figures now published, the Federal Network Agency wants to underline that the approvals will soon pick up the pace.